ATR 3 2012 web 2

Award-Winning Regional Magazine of the Arkansas Trucking Association Vol. 17 • Issue 3 2012 • $4.95

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IN THIS ISSUE





Volume 17, Number 3 • issue 3 2012
FEATURES



COVER STORY
TRucking HeRoes 26
Three industry legends who made their mark
By Eric Francis



CAPITOL WATCH
PReacHing To THe cHoiR 19
Communicate needs, make the right choices, FMCSA says
By J.K. Jones



TRADE SECRETS
THe Handoff 36
Estate planning can save family taxes, strife
By Steve Brawner



SCENE AROUND
80 YeaRs and sTill TRucking 38
th
Coverage of the 80 Arkansas Trucking Association
annual conference
By ATR Staff

simPlY THe BesT 44
Winners and highlights from the
2012 Arkansas Trucking Championships
By ATR Staff






DEPARTMENTS


Up Front: by Lane Kidd 7
They Said It 9
News in Brief 10
Calendar of Events 40
Insider Trucking 37
Stat View 48
Advertiser Resource Index 49
Last Word: by Sheridan Garrison 50

Cover photo and this page Courtesy arkansas truCking assoCiation and arkansas Best Corporation

aRkansas TRucking RePoRT | issue 2 2012 5



Up froNT



Award-Winning Regional Journal of the Arkansas Trucking Association
Arkansas Trucking Report is owned by the arkansas Trucking
association, inc. and is published bimonthly by matthews Publishing
group. for additional copies, to order reprints of individual articles or
to become a subscriber to ATR, contact kelly crow at 501.372.3462.
publisher TrUckINg’S NExT TraNSformaTIoN
JENNIFER mATThEWS KIdd
matthews Publishing Group There are pivotal crossroads in the evolution of every industry. In
[email protected]
communications director & managing editor trucking’s case, most would agree that 1980 marked such a critical
KELLY CARGILL CROW
[email protected] juncture; the year Congress deregulated the trucking industry.
executive editor
LANE KIdd
contributing writers Nothing was the same after deregulation. Of the 50 largest U.S.
art director
STEVE BRAWNER TOdd TRAUB trucking companies in 1979, only two remain today and ABF Freight
[email protected] [email protected]
SAm EIFLING JIm hARRIS System in Fort Smith, Arkansas is one of them. But deregulation
[email protected] [email protected]
J.K. JONES ERIC FRANCIS
[email protected] [email protected] spawned a wave of new entrepreneurial trucking and transportation
JOhN SChULz JENNIFER BARNETT REEd
[email protected] [email protected] companies that today comprise the most efficient distribution system in the world.
JON d. KENNEdY, Deregulation transformed trucking for the better.
The Freelance Co. LLC
[email protected]
production editor Other major transformations would follow—the commercial driver’s license, the creation
ShANNON NEWTON
ad production of a federal agency to improve the industry’s safety performance and the list goes on. But,
dEAh ChISENhALL, dUSTY TOWNSENd
illustrator again, these events transformed the industry for the better.
BRENT BENNETT
[email protected]
photographers Now we have another. The president just signed legislation nobody thought possible—a
JON d. KENNEdY, BOB OCKEN, KELLY CARGILL CROW
comprehensive transportation bill that will spend more than $105 billion over the next two
years on roads, bridges, infrastructure and other highway related safety measures.
Contained within this legislation are two motor carrier safety requirements. Arkansas
www.arkansastrucking.com
president Democratic U.S. Senator Mark Pryor, Republican Congressman Rick Crawford and their
LANE KIdd
[email protected] expert staffs deserve much of the credit. They are an example of how bipartisan politics
vice president
ShANNON SAmPLES NEWTON should work.
[email protected]
director of operations
SARAh NEWmAN ShEETS Supported by the Arkansas Trucking Association, Pryor introduced “The Safe Roads Act” to
[email protected]
communications director & managing editor create a national clearinghouse of persons who test positive on required drug and alcohol
KELLY CARGILL CROW
[email protected] exams. This database will help ensure we keep drug abusers out of our trucks and off
executive assistant
SARA AdAmS our nation’s highways. Crawford introduced the same legislation in the House and it was
[email protected]
administrative assistant successfully incorporated into the transportation bill.
STEPhANIE VERdELL
[email protected]
ChAIRmAN OF ThE BOARd Pryor also introduced “The Commercial Motor Carrier Driver Compliance Act” that
GARY SALISBURY
Fikes Truck Line requires electronic on-board recorders (EOBRs) in all commercial trucks. We supported
President & CEO
BOARd OF dIRECTORS the legislation from the outset. Some in trucking were slow to come around. Others
mARR LYNN BEARdEN mARK mORRIS
marrlin Transit, Inc. morris Transportation, Inc.
President President never did. But the measure eventually sailed through the Senate and was included in the
ALLEN BERRY dR. JOhN OzmENT
Central States manufacturing, Inc. U of A/Walton College of Business transportation bill that went to the House for consideration.
Transportation director Chair of Transportation
GREG CARmAN PAT REEd
Carman, Inc. FedEx Freight
President Executive Vice President & COO In the House, the EOBR proposal was not without its opponents. Stirred up by
dAN CUShmAN G.E. “BUTCh” RICE III
P.A.m. Transportation Services, Inc. Stallion Transportation Group independents who don’t want anybody looking over their shoulder, some congressmen
President & CEO President & CEO
CRAIG hARPER ROY SLAGLE objected. But congressmen were hard-pressed to find any legitimate reason to defeat it.
J.B. hunt Transport, Inc. ABF Freight System, Inc.
Executive Vice President & COO President & CEO
AL hERINGER IV JEFF SmITh And in bipartisan fashion, when Pryor’s EOBR measure ran up against some pushback,
Star Transportation, Inc. Utility Tri-State, Inc.
Vice President President Crawford, a conferee on the bill, defended the device as simply a tool for law enforcement.
BLUE KEENE WAYNE SmITh
Tyson Foods, Inc. Wayne Smith Trucking, Inc.
Transportation director President In the end, common sense ruled the day. Now, EOBRs will record the time a driver actually
SCOTT mANChESTER VICKI JONES STEPhENS
Truck Centers of Arkansas C.C. Jones, Inc.
Vice President, Truck Sales President operates his truck—protecting the motoring public in the process. And drug users will find
mIKE mCNUTT ChRIS SULTEmEIER
distribution Solutions, Inc. Walmart Transportation it next to impossible to operate a commercial truck on our highways.
CEO, Owner Senior Vice President
ROdNEY mILLS STEVE WILLIAmS
USA Truck, Inc. maverick USA Trucking is now poised for its next transformation—one that will improve highway safety,
Vice President & General Counsel Chairman & CEO
verify compliance and rid itself of companies that cheat to compete. A drug and alcohol
an affiliate of the american Trucking
associations clearinghouse and an EOBR requirement on all commercial trucks—these will transform
Arkansas Trucking Association (ATA) is an Arkansas corporation of trucking trucking as we know it—and both for the better.
companies, private carrier fleets and businesses which serve or supply the
trucking industry. ATA serves these companies as a governmental affairs
representative before legislative, regulatory and executive branches of
government on issues that affect the trucking industry. The organization also
provides public relations services, workers’ compensation insurance, operational
services and serves as a forum for industry meetings and membership relations.
For information, contact ATA at:
1401 West Capitol, Suite 185 Lane Kidd
Post Office Box 3476 (72203) Drivers Legal Plan
Little Rock, Arkansas 72201 President, Arkansas Trucking Association
Phone 501.372.3462 Fax 501.376.1810
www.arkansastrucking.com [email protected]
Drivers Legal Plan
aRkansas TRucking RePoRT | issue 3 2012 7

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“ THEy SaId IT”









“The Arkansas Trucking Association deserves a lot of credit.


They took the national lead on this.”




—u.s. senator mark Pryor (d-Ark.) after Congress approved a requirement that all commercial trucks engaged in interstate
commerce install electronic onboard recorders.


“ This is “On June 29, 1956, exactly

56 years ago, President



a huge Dwight Eisenhower started


game-changer. ” us on a path to a national



—Tim carmichael, president of the transportation system, and
California Natural Gas Vehicle Coalition,
on the recent announcement by Shell
to build 100 natural gas vehicle fueling today we saved that system.”
stations.
“I think we need —u.s. senator Barbara Boxer (d-Calif.) in a statement after Congress passed a
transportation bill authorizing $105 billion in spending on road and transit projects
some clarity over the next two years.

on that issue, a “ The industry’s aging driver force

better workable requires that w e attract younger talent,

but the younger generation is less
agreement that's interested. We feel strongly that investing
fair to all sides.” to im prove the im age of the driver w ill



—arkansas state senator Paul Bookout enhance the longevity of the industry...”
(d-Jonesboro) on a sales tax exemption
for trucks and semi-trailers that took —colton lawrence, president of Equinox Owner-Operator Solutions, announced his
effect in July and how to replace the company would donate $25 in the name of any company for each one of its drivers
$4 million it will cost the state highway that purchases a product or service, and $100 in the name of any carrier that allows
department. Equinox to discuss potential partnership opportunities.

“Any of the amendments were designed to kill the bill. And I couldn’t let that happen.”


—u.s. senator Jim inhofe (R-Okla.) told POLITICO of overcoming objections from Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who wanted the upper
chamber to have more time to read the transportation bill before voting on it.



aRkansas TRucking RePoRT | issue 3 2012 9

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WoNdErS NEvEr cEaSE the transportation bill, particularly According to senior aides in both
Nobody thought this Congress the effects it will have on the trucking chambers, the House amendment
could ever do it—pass a transportation industry. simply proposes to cut funding. For
bill. But in a huge display of bipar- it to have any effect, the U.S. Senate
tisan politics, the Democratic con- SalES Tax ExEmpTIoN would have to concur in the defund-
trolled Senate passed it 74-19 while the TakES EffEcT ing amendment, when it gets around
Republican controlled House approved it The long-awaited Arkansas sales tax to considering the 2013 transportation
by a vote of 373-52. All ‘no’ votes were exemption on the purchase price of new appropriations bill. Nobody believes the
cast by Republicans. and used large trucks and semi-trailers Senate will go along with defunding the
Under the agreement, federal took effect July 1, 2012. This exemption EOBR mandate when it overwhelmingly
transportation funding will continue will enable Arkansas trucking company passed in the transportation bill.
at roughly $54 billion a year, averting a owners to gain the same tax advantage So contrary to some reports, the EOBR
crisis for the nation’s highway construc- the industry enjoys in 38 other states. mandate is very much alive and well,
tion projects that could have occurred if The full exemption completes an fully funded and moving forward.
Congress had not agreed on the money objective the Arkansas Trucking
before the June 30expiration of a short- Association began in 2003 when the pryor INTrodUcES JobS bIll
term measure. Arkansas General Assembly voted to for mIlITary SErvIcE mEmbErS
Politics is the art of compromise give the industry a partial sales tax U.S. Senator Mark
and this legislation was a prime exam- break, capping the sales tax at about Pryor (D-Ark.) has
ple. The agreement did not include a $600 on a truck and $60.00. Now, introduced legislation
provision launching construction of Arkansas is on a par with border states to encourage states to
the Keystone XL oil pipeline, which like Oklahoma that provide such an accept specialized military
Republicans had sought. But it also exemption. training service members
omitted $1.4 billion for conservation acquire on active duty as
that Democrats favored, and dropped oNly a pUff of SmokE meeting all or some of the
restrictions on how states use money In the hours after Congress over- state licensing require-
once mandated for aesthetic transporta- whelmingly voted to approve the ments for such occupa-
tion improvements. transportation bill that included the tions as commercial truck
The measure marks the first time requirement that all commercial trucks drivers, certified nursing
since 2005 that Congress has agreed to install electronic onboard recorders, assistants and emergency
a long-term transportation bill. Congressman Jeff Landry (R-La.) intro- medical technicians.
The bill consolidates federal trans- duced an amendment to a separate Called the “Helping
portation programs and gives states appropriations bill to withhold federal Iraq and Afghanistan
more flexibility in how it can spend funds from implementing the EOBR Veterans Return to
its money. It also contains an array of mandate. The amendment passed on a Employment (HIRE) at Home Act,”
safety initiatives including requiring voice vote (with about a dozen members Pryor said veterans “have already dem-
electronic on-board recorders in com- on the floor). onstrated proficiency through military
mercial trucks and creating a clearing- Reports quickly circulated that the training and experience” that states
house for truck drivers who test positive House stripped funding for the EOBR should consider to enable veterans to
on drug tests. mandate, effectively nullifying the con- skip expensive and time consuming
The next issue of Arkansas Trucking gressional action. But, like many things
Report will include a detailed look at in Washington, that simple isn’t true. 

aRkansas TRucking RePoRT | issue 3 2012 11

News iN brief, ‘firmed up’ relying on reports from prize at the end of each week of safe
Continued from page 11 motor carriers that freight demand driving.
training. ended May on a strong note after more The catch: Every time the test sub-
“If we want to maintain a first-rate weakness than anticipated earlier in the jects went five to eight miles per hour
military, we need to care for our service month, he said. above the speed limit, they lost 3 cents
members while they’re on active duty “Trucking trends are reflective of from their prize. And every time they
and when they return home,” Pryor an economic environment that is stable, went nine or more miles per hour above
said. “This bill is an easy way for us to not deteriorating,” Hartford said. the speed limit, they lost 6 cents. And
support veterans in the workforce.” Another index that tracks the now they might have found something
movement of goods that works, after researchers
lookINg cloSEr aT THE between manufacturers placed a GPS device inside
NUmbErS and consumers is a “good cars that gives drivers an
barometer” of the economy, incentive not to speed.
said Jonathan Starks, direc- Researchers found that
tor of transportation analy- by placing a small GPS-
sis at FTR Associates. FTR’s based device that constantly
index of U.S. truck loadings measures the speed of a car
increased 3 percent to 115.9 against the posted speed
in April from a year earlier, limit, drivers will slow
the highest since 2008, down, if paired with the
based on data from the right financial incentive.
Nashville, Indiana-based The devices gave drivers real-
transportation-forecasting time feedback — every time
company. drivers turned off the igni-
April’s improvement tion, they were informed
suggests the economy is about the “cost” of that trip.
expanding. “It’s not red-hot, Ian Reagan, a traffic
but it’s not stalling, either,” safety researcher at NHTSA,
Starks said, adding that thinks drivers slowed down
June reports out this month by annual gains above 5 per- because of both the carrot
the American Trucking Associations cent would suggest robust and the stick – the prize at
(ATA) and the Association of American activity. Index growth the end of the week for good
Railroads (AAR) show that freight vol- exceeded 5 percent between driving, and the small pen-
umes are flat, even down slightly, com- July 2010 and March 2011, alties for speeding.
pared to last year. Spokesmen for both the data show, while gross Reagan believes insur-
organizations hinted that the economy domestic product expanded ance companies could utilize
may be slowing down. an average 2.9 percent the tracking devices on driv-
However, truck tonnage volumes year-over-year in the same ers who wish to lower their
are clipping along at a rate that is 4.1 period. premiums. Many companies
percent higher than last year, a respect- currently offer rebates for
able increase. And rail tonnage, while gETTINg paId To good driving behavior.
down 2.8 percent, is largely due to a SloW doWN
decline in coal transport, arguably good Speeding is the primary cause of yoU boyS gET aloNg NoW
news for all but coal miners, since coal the deaths of some 12,000 motorists A federal appeals court has agreed
is being replaced by cheap shale gas. each year. Officials have tried many with Mack Trucks and Volvo Group
Excluding coal, rail volumes were up strategies to get drivers to slow down – North America and ruled that the U.S.
4.2 percent year-on-year. In particular, to no avail. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
there has been a big rise in volumes in But maybe there’s a way after all. cannot allow Navistar to make heavy-
motor vehicles and parts. Pay them. duty diesel engines that don’t meet the
In fact, two measures of trucking That bit of wisdom comes from agency’s 2010 emissions standards.
activity signal the industry remains the National Highway Traffic Safety The EPA had ruled that Navistar
steady. Ben Hartford, an analyst in Administration after a research project could pay fines and continue to sell the
Milwaukee with Robert W. Baird & Co., revealed that drivers slow down dra- noncompliant engines. Mack Trucks
said that the truck tonnage figures have matically when they are promised a $25 

12 aRkansas TRucking RePoRT | issue 3 2012

faster























farther

News iN brief, wasn’t a proper justification for EPA to HErINgEr rEcogNIzEd IN
Continued from page 12 issue the rule without following normal STaTE Top 40 lIST
administrative procedures. Award-Winning Regional Journal of the Arkansas Trucking Association Vol. 15, No. 4 • August 2010 • $4.95 Al Heringer
and Volvo Group North America Commenting on the ruling, IV was listed in
promptly sued the EPA over the ruling. Volvo Group spokesman John Mies a recent issue of
The three-judge U.S. Appeals Court said, “Volvo’s interest has always been Arkansas Business
for the District of Columbia agreed, ensuring a level playing field, so we’re as one of the
ruling that EPA didn’t meet any of pleased with this decision. Although it state’s “40 under
the statutory criteria for issuing a is unclear to us at this point what this 40” most intrigu-
“good cause” exception. The court said ruling means for engines sold under the ing young busi-
Navistar’s current financial situation interim rule.” ness and political leaders under 40
years old. Heringer, vice president of
Star Transportation in Jonesboro, Ark.,
made the list.
Candidates must demonstrate how
he or she has made an impact on his or
her company or community and show
the potential to be a leader in business
or politics during the next decade.
Even though Heringer grew up in
the family business his grandfather
started in 1926, he said, “Nobody can
ever prepare you for the trucking busi-
ness.”
After playing tight end for the
University of Arkansas from 1994-98,
where he said Houston Nutt and Danny
Ford taught him a lot about football
and life, he took the wheel from his
father at Star Transportation, when the
company had just six trucks.
“I learned everything the hard
way,” he said, “but as long as I was
Bet it’s too much. showing him a good bottom line, he let
me keep on rolling.”
Whether it’s in cab or in a hotel you’re probably spending too Heringer said he tried to not make
much on where your drivers sleep. the same mistake twice and has since
expanded the company to a fleet of 105
At MSI Lodging, hospitality solutions are our job! You owe it to
trucks and more than 200 employees,
your bottom line to see if we can help you with how you
which he manages with an attitude of
overnight your drivers.
service and efficiency first.
The winning industry leader cur-
MSI Lodging specializes in the transportation industry and has
been helping companies in Arkansas and across North America rently serves on the Arkansas Trucking
for more than 40 years with their lodging needs. We would love Association Board of Directors. He was
the opportunity to show you what we can do for you. previously the president of the Arkansas
Oil Marketers Association in 2010 and
continues to serve on its board.

Please contact Missy Penor rEpUblIcaNS EyE
at MSI Lodging Inc. coNgrESSIoNal SWEEp
[email protected] The odds that all four congres-
501-666-4800, Ext. 117 sional seats in Arkansas could be held
www.msilodging.com by Republicans after the November
election are increasing. Three of the

14 aRkansas TRucking RePoRT | issue 3 2012

is open due to the retirement of Panther reported about $215 mil-
long-time Congressman Mike Ross, lion in revenue and $24 million of
a Democrat. The Democratic candi- adjusted earnings before interest, taxes,
date, Arkansas State Senator Gene depreciation and amortization in 2011.
Jeffress, will face Republican Tom “Panther Expedited Services is an
Cotton, who has already raised more excellent strategic fit for our company
than $1 million, mostly from out-of- and our customers as we seek to offer
state sources. end-to-end logistics solutions for pro-
Observers point to Cotton’s gressively more complex supply chains,”
huge lead in fundraising over said Judy McReynolds, Arkansas Best
Jeffress, as well as Jeffress not even president and chief executive officer.
having a campaign staff onboard Arkansas Best said the acquisition
as reasons why Cotton is the likely is expected to expand its customer base
winner. and cross-selling opportunities with the
If elected, this will be the first addition of more than 11,000 Panther
time in history Arkansas will have customers in attractive end markets.
an all Republican congressional del- The current Panther management team
four districts are currently held by egation. is expected to remain in place.
Republicans – Congressmen Steve Panther was owned by Fenway
Womack, Tim Griffin and Rick arkaNSaS bEST acqUIrES Consulting Partners, a private equity
Crawford. Womack and Griffin face paNTHEr ExpEdITEd for $180m firm, having acquired the company
underfunded candidates while Crawford Arkansas Best Corp., parent in 2005. And a member of Panther’s
is thought to have a wide lead in recent company of ABF Freight System, has board, said that
poll over Steve Ellington, a prosecuting acquired Panther Expedited Services, a
attorney in West Memphis. transportation and logistics provider,
th
The 4 Congressional District seat for $180 million. 

















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aRkansas TRucking RePoRT | issue 3 2012 6/27/12 3:40 PM 15

SobErINg exceeding total economic output. The
Most folks probably don’t realize last time America’s debt topped the size
that our U.S. Congress hasn’t passed a of its overall economy was in 1947 due
budget since April 29, 2009. Congress to the costs incurred fighting World
has chosen to ignore a mandate on War II.
itself. The 1974 Congressional Budget
Act obligates both chambers to adopt a U.S. dIESEl prIcE loWEST IN
budget resolution every year by April 15. EIgHT moNTHS
During this time, the national debt economy. In fact, the United States The national average retail diesel
has grown from $11 trillion to nearly recently joined Greece on the short list price fell 6.5 cents to $3.781 a gallon
$16 trillion – exceeding the entire U.S. of seven developed nations with debt – the lowest price in eight months –
during the week of June 11, according
to the U.S. Department of Energy’s
Transportation | Workplace Safety | Human Resources Energy Information Administration.
The average price has fallen 36.7 cents
in the past nine weeks and is 17.3
cents below the same week last year.
Average retail prices fell in all
regions, led by a 12-cent decrease
on the West Coast, which excludes
California, where prices fell 10.3 cents
but remained the nation’s most expen-
sive at $4.066 a gallon, the only area
Rely on us still costs more than $4. The smallest
of the country where diesel on average

decrease was 4.6 cents in the Rocky
Mountain region. The least expen-
sive diesel was $3.696 a gallon in the
Midwest.
to help you run a safe and compliant operation.
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In 1986, the American Trucking
16 aRkansas TRucking RePoRT | issue 3 2012

Associations (ATA) created America’s are included and will be considered for the design speeds, the 85th percentile
Road Team, a national public outreach raising speed limits from 55 mph to 60 speeds and crash rates, as well as the
program designed to educate the public mph. locations of traffic signals and school
about highway safety and the truck- Speed limit sign changes could be zones.
ing industry. For the past 26 years, the made within the next several weeks.
America’s Road Team Captains have The Department reviewed all rural
been everywhere. It is no exaggeration four and five lane highways currently
to say that millions of Americans have posted at 55 mph. Sections of less than
met Captains of the America’s Road two miles were generally excluded.
Team, heard or read their safety mes- A total of 87 sections were stud-
sages, and as a result has changed their ied in detail, including a review of
driving behavior.
ATA is now searching for professional
truck drivers, both men and women, who 30 years of balance.
are willing to take time away from the
cab of the truck to serve on the 2013-
2014 America’s Road Team. As Road Team
Captains, these drivers will take a few
days each month to meet with the motor-
ing public, the news media, students,
transportation officials, community
and business leaders and our lawmakers
to demonstrate the trucking industry’s
commitment to safety. In addition, Road
Team Captains appear at events ranging
from driver safety meetings to state capi-
tols to reinforce the importance of safety
and professionalism in our industry.
Nomination forms are available on
the ATA website and are due August 24,
2012.

faSTEr SpEEd lImITS
Arkansas motorists cruising along
divided highways in the middle of
nowhere will soon avoid those ‘speed
traps’ so popular with small town
police officers. The Arkansas Highway
Commission has authorized the state
highway department it oversees to
increase speed limits on four lane rural
highways from 55 to 60 miles per hour.
“The Commission asked us earlier
this year to study these rural highways
to determine if modifications to the
speed limits were warranted,” said
AHTD Director Scott Bennett. “Based
on a thorough engineering analysis,
where safety is always first, we have
determined that there are sections of
these highways that may warrant a raise
in the speed limit.”
Approximately 265 miles of rural,
four and five lane, undivided highways (501) 753-9700 • www.bellandcompany.net

aRkansas TRucking RePoRT | issue 3 2012 17

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preaching to the choir





Communicate needs, make the right choices, FMCSA says









By J.k. Jones
Contributing Writer

Sharing a common purpose and
maintaining open, honest commu-
nication between the industry and
regulators are the keys to improving
truck safety, a Federal Motor Carrier
Safety Administration (FMCSA) repre-
sentative told trucking insiders at the
Arkansas Trucking Association Annual
Conference.
“We look at trucking as the life- The FmCSA panel discusses communication at the 2012 ATA Annual Conference
blood of our country. It is the driv-
ing force of our economy,” said Anne the pressures that people are under. real chance to influence the 5 million
Collins, associate administrator for field We need to understand what will help drivers out there who are ultimately
operations. “The bottom line of truck- drive our common success, in both the making the choices: whether or not to
ing is safety, and that is our only line at bottom line for the industry and in the drive when they’re tired, whether or not
FMCSA.” bottom line of safety.” to follow too closely, whether or not
And the state’s progress has been Of course, trucking association to take risks associated with the load
exemplary. Collins noted a recent members are already the folks “who they’re carrying,” she said.
national award for reducing fatalities. are in the church,” Collins noted. “It’s Collins emphasized the vast
“Arkansas is heading in the right preaching to the choir. You’ve already amount of information about rules and
direction. It all really comes down to spent the money and the time to be rulemaking on the FMCSA website, as
the choices that you and you employ- informed and understand the rules — well as opportunities to provide feed-
ees are making every day,” she said, that’s why you’re an absolutely critical back. She used the crafting of the new
applauding the audience. voice to us. You’re paying attention and hours-of-service (HOS) rule as a prime
Collins outlined three pieces to the you’ve got the best information for us.” example.
safety puzzle: The key is to “leverage that rela- “There’s a real process to adopting
1. Good rules. “They have to make tionship” and spread the shared mes- changes,” Collins said. “And when a
sense; they have to be geared toward the sage to the broader public. rule like HOS affects everything that we
right outcomes.” FMCSA currently employs about do, we want to make sure we’re spend-
2. Good choices about those 1,000 people, and that number of peo- ing the time to understand how it does
rules. “Everybody in this room knows ple can’t do very much when it comes to affect your business.”
somebody that is a real ‘carrot’ per- “try to influence the world.” She also credits Arkansas for “lead-
son: they’ll do anything to be the best; The 12,000 or so partners in law ing the pack” in the implementation of
they’ll do the right thing because it enforcement help, she added, but by the electronic on-boards recorders (EOBRs).
is the right thing. And you also know time carrier management gets involved, “I’m impressed to hear about all
those ‘stick’ people, who only come to the number is more than half-a-million. that’s going on in Arkansas. This is the
the game when there’s a penalty or a “Getting everyone on the same page” is quintessential ‘what’s good for busi-
consequence if they don’t.” critical. ness is good for safety’ tool,” she said.
3. Good communication about “If 500,000 folks get on board “I know there are many people in this
those rules. “We need to understand to look at the best outcomes for busi-
one another’s operating environment; ness and for safety, then we’ve got a 

aRkansas TRucking RePoRT | issue 3 2012 19

room who can attest to that.”
Indeed, the opportunities are “phe-
nomenal” to improve fleet manage- “what’s the correlatioN betweeN whether a
ment. driVer is paid by the mile or by the hour to
“It’s the fear of the unknown, more safety outcomes?”
than the actual application of EOBRs.
Many, many drivers are afraid of them. —aNNe colliNs
Then once they start using them, they associate admiNistrator for field operatioNs
never want to drive without them,” federal motor carrier safety admiNistratioN
Collins said.
The agency will be taking a survey
in conjunction with the current EOBR than it is about the rules,” she said. “No all the power units that are on the road.
rulemaking, aimed specifically at the single rule can govern the fatigue of “Even more importantly, they rep-
driver harassment question — the issue everyone in this room. But those cues resent 84 percent of all the crashes,”
which derailed the recent remedial have to be something each individual Collins said. “The data is doing exactly
EOBR rule when a court decided the understands and makes responsible what it was intended to do: it’s get-
agency had not sufficiently addressed choices for whether or not he or she can ting to the heart of those folks who are
the matter. operate heavy equipment on our high- having an issue in safety management
And that’s “a common theme” to ways.” that’s leading to crashes. And it’s help-
the way everyone approaches change. The 34-hour restart provision, ing our investigators to work with those
“So be aware of that fear, and let’s which will include two overnight peri- carriers to address those issues.”
get down to talking about what’s really ods, is not “an arbitrary choice” to mess CSA warning letters have been
involved, and how we can make it work up schedules, she added. The change is particularly effective, she added, often
the best possible way,” Collins said. based on studies on human fatigue and informing carriers of problems that
“The bottom line is we don’t want to “what’s best for the driver,” she empha- didn’t realize they had, and the program
make decisions in isolation. It needs to sized. emphasis on driver awareness has pro-
be a dynamic process where you’re at She also noted the new rule “puts duced a 9 percent reduction in driver
the table.” some sting” into egregious, or willful, violations.
Accordingly, she credited FMCSA’s violations. “Drivers are taking the conse-
Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Council “And yes, we’re aware there’s a quences more seriously. You all are tak-
— a panel featuring carrier executives, lawsuit pending — two, actually. When ing the consequences more seriously,”
drivers, safety advocates and repre- you’re a regulator you get used to being Collins said. “Folks have put manage-
sentatives of equipment makers — for sued, and you know you’re in the right ment systems in place who didn’t have
its assistance on the range of trucking vicinity when you get sued by both them, and put better ones in place
issues. sides,” Collins said. “[The new restart] where they did have them to really
Collins also encourages trucking to may be a different way of thinking focus on those issues to help prevent
keep an eye on the Federal Register. about the business, but it’s not a worse crashes and save lives.”
“We really are asking — it’s not way of planning your work. It’s not FMCSA also is reminding carriers
about us laying down the law and say- worse for your business and it’s much to log-in and preview the revised scores
ing the rule is immutable,” she said. “It better for your safety.” under the new HazMat BASIC, and
is really a very dynamic, open, honest, Compliance, Safety, Accountability: with Cargo Securement violations now
respectful means of collecting informa- Collins said the agency considers “every included in the Vehicle Maintenance
tion.” piece of data,” and the FMCSA mantra BASIC.
is “every trip, every time.” “What we’re seeing is those who
rEgUlaTory UpdaTES “The good news, a little over a year run different types of loads, and don’t
Hours-of-service: The new rule is in in, is we’re seeing the success of this do hazmat very often, are the ones who
place, with most of the changes set to model,” she said. are scoring very high,” she said. “They
take effect in July 2013. Again, Collins The CSA website has had more may not have the systems in place to be
referred members to the FMCSA website than 27 million visits to look at scores, ready to handle that hazardous mate-
for detailed information on the changes and the agency has data on more than rial. It’s important to know where you
and the agency’s reasoning behind 200,000 active carriers. While just 12 stand by looking at that data preview
them. percent of those carriers have BASICs before it goes live.”
“The hours-of-service rule is much scores, it’s the right 12 percent, she
more about the choices people make explained: they represent 70 percent of 

20 aRkansas TRucking RePoRT | issue 3 2012

CE-Building-ArkTrucking.indd 1 3/15/12 6:52 AM

And, as always, carrier data needs “When you see these crashes that are tion times, Collins said. “We’re very
to be reviewed for accuracy. the result of a heart problem or a loss of mindful it plays a role in the hours-of-
Sleep apnea is a growing concern, consciousness, a known medical condi- service. Nobody ever has enough hours,
with as many as 1 in 4 Americans at tion — that’s the type of risk I know you and if you’re burning time at the ship-
risk of daytime drowsiness. all want to be managing. Not just for per, what’s the proper classification of
“These are fatigue factors that have the bottom line, but because you care that?”
to be self-policed. It comes down to about the people you’re working with.” Driver pay and incentives is the
the choices people are making and the The first step is to approve the focus of other research. “What’s the
concern you have for those drivers as medical companies who will certify correlation between whether a driver is
employees,” she said, referring again to the providers, ultimately transitioning paid by the mile or by the hour to safety
the carrot-and-stick approach. “The rule all drivers to a “paperless med card” outcomes?”
is out there, but it’s much more about designed to be all-inclusive, more con- And Administrator Anne Ferro is
making the good choices that are going venient and less subject to fraud. “very clearly focused” on crash account-
to make your business a better busi- “There is a lot of work to be done ability and crash weighting.
ness.” on the part of the states, on the part “When the crash is clearly not
Distracted driving is “another clas- of the DMVs,” she said. “It’s certainly the carrier’s fault or the driver’s fault,
sic case” of rules (no texting while driv- something that will go a long way should that have an impact on their
ing, no hand-held phones) that are hard towards improving safety and protect- Safety Management System scores?”
to enforce. ing our loved ones who are both behind Collins said. “The bottom line to mak-
“It’s about being responsible and the wheel and on the road. ing that determination is to have more
changing the hearts and minds of information: looking at the quality
people who think they can text and comINg SooN and consistency of police reports, the
drive, or that they can hold on to a cell Research is underway with an eye opportunity for the public to weigh in
phone and have their brain engaged in toward future rulemakings, Collins on the determination, and whether or
something other than driving. It can’t explained. not accountability or weighting has any
be done,” she said. “The real change has The agency’s medical review board impact on crash prevention and safety
to come from the influence you have on has made its sleep apnea recommenda- overall.”
your employees, from the behavior you tions, and an official notice is pend-
demonstrate.” ing. FMCSA also “is mindful” of the HoS q&a
Collins concluded by inviting
Darrell Ruban, FMCSA field administra-
tor for the Southern Service Center in
“the bottom liNe is we doN’t waNt to make Atlanta, and Kevin Breedlove, Arkansas
decisioNs iN isolatioN. it Needs to be a division administrator, to answer ques-
tions submitted by the audience.
dyNamic process where you’re at the table.” Among those, many dealt with
—aNNe colliNs hours-of-service, including a follow-
associate admiNistrator for field operatioNs up question on “the logic” behind the
federal motor carrier safety admiNistratioN change to the 34-hour restart.
“It’s based on the studies that talk
about the circadian rhythms and the
ability of people to function during
The national registry for medical need to educate and inform the Equal periods of prolonged work exposure,
providers rule has been published, and Employment Opportunity Commission and what time period their performance
is “a hot topic” at FMCSA. The rule is to as to possible conflicts with labor law, drops off,” she said.
be in full effect by January 2014. “to provide a rational basis for our More importantly, Breedlove
“Again, this is about the focus on health standards,” Collins noted. recalled recent presentations he’s given
driver health: making sure that the A drug and alcohol clearinghouse to association members and the expect-
medical exam is a true indicator. It’s rule is also in the works, designed to ed impact of the changes.
making sure the medical provider — make sure the truck drivers who have “I think we realized the main issue
whether it’s doctor, a nurse practitio- tested positive for drugs or alcohol can- is going to be with the long haul carri-
ner, a physician’s assistant — has been not “shop” for other jobs without get- ers, the ones that have operators that
schooled in what the factors they need ting proper treatment.
to worry about,” Collins explained. And FMCSA is “looking at” deten- 

22 aRkansas TRucking RePoRT | issue 3 2012

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are transporting goods back-to-back,” with the state FMCSA office, says SMC the guesswork. We have almost instant
Breedlove said. “But for the most part, chairman Jason Wing. access to logs now, where we used to
the 34-hour restart is not going to “Our members have to get have to wait for up to two weeks to find
affect a lot of people. There’s been some involved,” said Wing, manager of safety out what a driver put down in his log
misunderstanding on how it’s going to compliance and training at ABF Freight book.”
be implemented, so the best thing to do System, Inc. “You’ve got stay active, stay CalArk is “very close” to having
if you have concerns about violations informed. You can disagree all day long, 100 percent of its trucks equipped with
is call me. Send us your logs and we’ll but if you don’t bring something to the EOBRs, and Hare “strongly, strongly”
talk you through it. I don’t think there table, your voice isn’t heard.” supports a universal mandate.
are violations where you think there are And keeping up “on a day-to-day Massey also was quick to name
going to be violations. We just need to basis” with what’s current at FMCSA the message he’d like to send to
look at your individual cases and make is standard procedure at CalArk Washington: “a rethink” of the 34-hour
sure there are no problems there.” International, adds assistant director of restart.
Ruban was quick to add FMCSA safety Malea Hare, who serves as SMC “I’m not a doctor, but I just don’t
can’t visit every carrier with a question, vice chairman. agree with the science,” Massey said,
but is “more than willing” to address Hare was hopeful, but cautious, referring specifically to the productivity
groups with similar issues. Additionally, about Collins’s call for cooperation lost on the consecutive overnight rest
the FMCSA website features sample logs between the industry and regulators. periods. “My question is just ‘Why?’”
to explain the change and help carriers “Getting information from motor The 34-hour restart “very much”
plan around the changes. carriers around the country is definitely will have an impact at CalArk, agreed
“It’s very much what I’ve been talk- beneficial for FMCSA,” she said. “I hope Hare.
ing about,” said Collins. “It’s the differ- they do respond positively to what carri- “We are still informing our drivers
ence between choices and rules. People ers have to say, because we are out there of the proposed rule, and doing train-
are not automatons and physiological — professional drivers are out there — ing company-wide. It’s going to change
situations change from hour to hour every day.” things for over-the-road carriers,” she
and day to day. Sometimes the rules Indeed, SMC Secretary Allen said. “The way customers have the loads
feel at odds to that. That’s the nature of Massey, safety director for Transco set up, the appointment times: every-
trying to set a regulatory framework so Lines, Inc., was quick to identify a dis- thing is going to be a factor in how
that you’re governing the vast majority connect between the industry and regu- successful it will be. “I really feel EOBRs
and setting a minimum standard. There lators: “driving.” will be able to provide the data to see
are always going to be folks who fall “They’re not truckers. They’ve if there needs to be an hours-of-service
outside those parameters.” never done it; they don’t understand it,” change,” she said.
Whether the litigation over HOS he said. “They’re looking at scientific Based on its studies, some drivers
will impact implementation of the new data, but when it comes to safety on the could be left sitting for up to 52 hours
rule “is in the hands of the court,” roadway, motor carriers need to be able on the restart, Hare added.
Collins added, and while there’s been to trust the drivers they hire to do the “It would make it very difficult for
no indication yet of delay, the situation best job; to do it safely and do it legally.” them to continue to be a professional
is “dynamic.” Carriers certainly should “stay on driver,” she said.
top” of their drivers and take correc- With good drivers being hard to
carrIEr rEacTIoN tive action when needed, but changes come by, that’s certainly the sort of
Of course, the importance of good to current rules aren’t necessary, he carrier communication FMCSA should
communication with policy makers emphasized. hear — but are they really listening?
is nothing new to Arkansas Trucking So Transco has equipped about Time, and regulations, will tell.
Association members. Indeed, the 15 percent of its 240-truck fleet with Meanwhile, to stay informed,
leadership of the Safety Management EOBRs, and Massey calls the results so Massey encourages members to get
Council (SMC) said much of the far “outstanding.” involved with the association and its
FMCSA presentation in Hot Springs “Reducing driver miles — the big- councils.
should have been familiar to council gest negative thought — has not been “There are real issues that safety
members, thanks to regular updates true in our case,” he said. “They’ve professionals in trucking deal with on a
provided by Breedlove. actually picked up, and gotten a little daily basis,” he said. “We’ve made great
But the Q&A session gave attendees more consistent from week to week. strides over the last few years to bring a
the opportunity to get answers to spe- We had no alerts, but as a motor car- lot of information into the council, and
cific questions, just the sort of “really rier we felt it was in our best interest to I think with the current leadership that
good open line” the association has keep the roadways safe and eliminate will definitely continue.”

aRkansas TRucking RePoRT | issue 3 2012 25

TruckiNg








Heroes




































garrison Young Hunt

By eric francis
Contributing Writer

What are the odds that some-
body from a small, under-populated,
rural state like Arkansas could make
an impact—a real, lasting, nation-
wide impact—on a multi-billion dollar
industry?
One in a million—we’ll take those
odds. Because Arkansas, with its popu-
lation of around three million, has of ABF Freight System. Arkansas Freightways which would
th
indeed produced its share of successful To mark its 80 anniversary, the become American Freightways before
businessmen in retail, banking, timber, Arkansas Trucking Association recently being acquired by FedEx Corporation;
poultry and the list goes on. recognized the founders of those three and Robert Young Jr., a Fort Smith
But Arkansas is also home to companies as ‘heroes of the Arkansas attorney who acquired a fledgling
some of the largest and most success- trucking industry’—for creating thou- trucking company in the 1950s and
ful trucking companies that began as sands of jobs, providing an essential built ABF Freight System into one of
small entrepreneurial businesses and service to the U.S. economy and evoking the most resilient freight carriers in the
grew to become major corporate players the entrepreneurial spirit that inspires nation.
in the freight transportation industry. others to emulate their success.
Three notable examples are J.B. Hunt These three people meet that So, WHy arkaNSaS?
Transport, FedEx Freight (formerly criteria—J.B. Hunt, the co-founder with “The question I’ve probably been
American Freightways) and Arkansas his wife Johnelle of J.B. Hunt Transport; asked more during my career than any
Best Corporation, the parent company Sheridan Garrison, who founded is, ‘What’s in the water down there?’”

26 aRkansas TRucking RePoRT | issue 3 2012

Three industry



legends who



made their



mark
















































Photo courtesy Arkansas Best Corporation

said Steve Williams, chairman and CEO example of both their styles and their Cleburne County, Arkansas during the
of Maverick USA in North Little Rock. capabilities. With an end to federal reg- depression. He never graduated from
Asked for a common thread among ulation of the trucking industry, it was high school, leaving school after the
those three men, Williams replied: a no-brainer that things would have to seventh grade to work in his uncle’s
“Work ethic, honesty, they weren’t big- change. But how, and how much, were sawmill. He made a living picking cot-
ger than their shoes. the questions nobody yet had answered. ton. He sold lumber, became an auc-
“You go back to the list of the car- The key, though, was taking risk—it was tioneer, sold lawn sod and became a
riers that were in business when the a totally new environment and some of truck driver. Driving a truck for the rice
industry was deregulated in 1980 and the rules would simply have to be writ- mills in Stuttgart, Arkansas, Hunt had
there’s only a handful of those compa- ten by the bold. the idea of selling those hulls as bed-
nies still around,” Williams said. ding to chicken farmers in northwest
How the companies these men THE IdEa maN Arkansas.
founded responded to the landmark Hunt was one of the bold ones.
Motor Carrier Act of 1980 is a good Johnnie Bryan Hunt was born in 

aRkansas TRucking RePoRT | issue 3 2012 27

He founded J.B. Hunt Transport pany and their industry. He was a great extended Hunt’s reach and comple-
Services in 1969 with his wife and busi- example of American determination.” mented the railway’s hauling capacity.
ness partner Johnelle Hunt, and began “Determination” is a good word Today, the company is the fifth
delivering those rice hulls. The company for what Johnnie Bryan Hunt had in largest freight transportation carrier in
grew, not dramatically at first, but Hunt spades. Hunt recalled working for his the United States, with revenues near-
was always an idea man, always looking uncle at the sawmill where he was sim- ing $4 billion annually.
for ways to capitalize on an opportu- ply given a load of lumber and sent out Intermodal proved a game-changer
nity. When Congress deregulated the to find customers. for J.B. Hunt Transport. According to
industry in 1980, Hunt had the oppor- “He would just load it up and say the company’s 2011 annual report,
tunity he’d been waiting for. ‘this is how much you’ve got on and JBI—the intermodal division—saw rev-
The 1980s were huge for J.B. Hunt this is how much I want, and don’t enue increase nearly 25 percent over the
Transport, which grew more quickly come back without the money,’” Hunt previous year to $2.67 billion, mostly
than any other national truckload car- recalled. “Well, you know, they don’t from a 16 percent jump in load vol-
rier that decade. In a 1999 interview teach stuff down at the university like ume. JBI produces the most revenue of
for Arkansas Trucking Report, after that.” the company’s four segments, and the
Dedicated Contract Services segment
(DCS) was a distant second at $1 bil-
lion in 2011.
Hunt’s penchant for finding good
“it wasN’t about these people beiNg partners wasn’t exercised only in the
self-serViNg, they were just serViNg.” pursuit of success for his own company.
Larger issues loomed that individual
companies couldn’t tackle on their
—steVe williams own, such as legislation from the state
chairmaN & ceo Capitol and Washington, D.C., and
maVerick usa Hunt looked for allies in the industry
to help address them. One way he did
that was through the Arkansas Trucking
Hunt had been tapped as one of the 20 In fact, everything Hunt knew Association, and that was a common
most influential industry figures of the about trucking didn’t come from the trait of leaders like Hunt and Garrison,
century, the company’s founder boiled university, or even high school. Maverick’s Williams said.
down his most important role in that “You know, that’s a great educa- “Their involvement in the associa-
success to one word: Selling. tion: People,” he said. “Just finding out tion was their way of giving back,” said
“I’d say 80 percent of my time was what makes people work.” Williams. “I think the part of those 
in marketing. I really felt like there was Though he once claimed, people who have been active in the
no need for the trucks if we didn’t have “Everything I do is an accident, I don’t associations, who have been instru-
anything to haul in them,” said Hunt. plan anything,” Hunt certainly knew mental in shaping policy and laws in
Hunt would sometimes go with his people—how to work with them, how to this country, have understood that they
marketing staff when they made calls trade with them and how to get along could be as successful as they wanted
on clients and bring his own natural with them. One of his great lessons was to be in their own right, but if they
sales ability into play. When customers “good partners attract good partners,” didn’t go in and shape the minds and
realized they were talking to the boss, and he made sure his best partner—his the attitudes of their peer group in the
Hunt said, that sometimes allowed him wife, Johnelle—was a key component. industry, then they would always be
to walk out with bigger contracts. And She was an equal partner in the com- saddled with all of the negatives that
bigger contracts grow your business. pany and served as its bookkeeper, came along with people doing whatever
That success in the early post-regu- treasurer and corporate secretary on the they wanted to do.
lation period hasn’t escaped those who board of directors. “It wasn’t about these people being
came along in later years. But Hunt also found good partners self-serving,” he said, “they were just
“Mr. Hunt embodied the creativ- outside the trucking business. Seeing serving.”
ity, risk-taking and work ethic that an opportunity to expand the reach of “J.B. Hunt was to trucking what
redefined the trucking industry post- J.B. Hunt Transport, in 1989 he struck Colonel Sanders was to fried chick-
deregulation,” said Williams in a 2007 a deal with the Santa Fe Railway (which en,” said Lane Kidd, president of the
Arkansas Trucking Report interview. “No is today the BNSF Railway) to provide Arkansas Trucking Assocaition. “He
other individual so shaped their com- intermodal transportation. This both became the face of the industry.”

28 aRkansas TRucking RePoRT | issue 3 2012

THE bUSINESSmaN into a nationwide carrier, and he did so ABF Freight Systems, which the younger
In 1980, the year Congress deregu- with an aggressive posture by acquir- Young did. After some time in terminal
lated the trucking industry to allow ing 20 more companies over the years operations, his father moved him to the
any company to deliver any product to expand its service area to encompass subsidiary Data-Tronics Corp. that pro-
anywhere for any price, Arkansas Best both coasts. vided computer services for ABF.
Freight Company, as ABF Freight System But Young didn’t just jump into Mind you, in the mid-1960s what
was known, was the ninth largest trucking without a back-up plan. qualified as “high tech” was still rath-
trucking company in the United States. In a 2000 Arkansas Trucking Report er... well, Young III put it this way in a
Of the 50 largest freight carriers at that article, longtime family friend Walton 2000 Arkansas Trucking Report profile:
time, only two remain today and ABF is Maurras—who was also a partner in “Computers were a relatively new thing
one of them. Today, the less-than-truck- the firm where Young practiced law— in 1965, using 8-column punch cards
th
load carrier is the 14 largest trucking described how the newly minted freight and they were about the size of two
company in the nation. company owner had hedged his bets. refrigerators,” he said. “We had an IBM
But there’s far more to that story “I’ve heard that Mr. Young actually 1401 that had a 12K memory.”
than just growth. Arkansas Best founder told his law partners here to keep his In 1966, the Youngs’ operation
Robert A. Young Jr. built the framework office desk and furnishings in the event was reorganized as Arkansas Best
that allowed his company not only to the trucking firm didn’t make it so he Corp. with ABF as its major subsidiary,
weather this change in the industry, but could come back,” said Maurras. “Of but Data-Tronics was still intact and
prosper above most of its competition— course he never did, but the firm kept handling computer services for the
even though he died seven years before his office just like he left it for several company, and still does today. Whether
the Motor Carrier Act was passed. years.” Robert Young Jr. foresaw it or not, hav-
Taking the long view was char- Of the many key decisions Young ing his son take on what we now call
acteristic of Young, who was working made over the years, one was to secure IT would serve the company in good
as a lawyer when he bought Arkansas the line of succession for the company’s stead more than 30 years later as the
Motor Freight Lines, the precursor to future leadership. In 1964 he asked his Internet developed and became an
Arkansas Best Freight, in 1951. Young’s son, Robert A. Young III, to forego law essential tool for running the business
long-term plans were to grow the firm school himself and come back to join
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Drivers Legal Plan


aRkansas TRucking RePoRT | issue 3 2012 29

perfect strategic fit” for the company.
It was one of those “everybody’s talking
about it” moments.
But Garrison, an inveterate joker,
couldn’t let even an event as big as this
merger pass without some humor.
Pat Reed, the executive vice
president and COO of FedEx Freight,
remembered how at Garrison’s induc-
tion to the University of Arkansas
Business Hall of Fame, shortly after the
deal, the guest of honor strode onto
the stage in front of a crowd of about
3,000 that included important FedEx
representatives...wearing an American
Freightways hat.
“I’m thinking, ‘Gosh, this isn’t
Courtesy ABF Freight System, Inc.
going to be good, what is he going to
and coordinating with customers. founding Arkansas Freightways. say?’” said Reed.
By 1970, when the elder Young The company promptly began los- But then again, the guy on stage
handed the reins of the company over ing money. was the same one who had included
to his senior management team, he had “More than $10,000 each day for “have fun” among his six guiding busi-
grown it into one of the top 50 trucking what seemed like a long time,” Garrison ness principles.
companies in the nation. said in a 2001 Arkansas Trucking Report “Thank you very much,” Garrison
He’d also become a political force profile. “I went home that first night and said, then announced, “By now you’ve
in Arkansas, counting governors, con- thought, ‘You’ve bought the farm now.’” all heard that we bought FedEx.”
gressmen and U.S. senators among his But Garrison stuck with it, of And the crowd “just went nuts,”
personal friends. He was appointed to course, and by the end of the ‘80s, said Reed. It was just the kind of humor
the University of Arkansas’ Board of American Freightways was steadily needed to lighten the mood and make
Trustees. The library at the University climbing the ranks of less-than-truck- folks feel comfortable, he said.
of Arkansas Bowen School of Law bears load carriers. The company was ulti- Humor was Garrison’s hallmark.
Young’s name. mately purchased by FedEx in 2000 as The 2004 memorial article from
Young instilled loyalty in his the foundation of the overnight deliv- Arkansas Trucking Report is full of exam-
management team. He utilized a style ery service’s LTL trucking arm, FedEx ples, both from people who’d known
that delegated authority and trust to Freight. him and from Garrison himself. Take
his employees. His approach worked. “All-points coverage in LTL was this snippet from a 2001 interview,
Executives stayed until retirement, a Sheridan’s idea,” said Ken Reeves, vice where he told about the first time he
trend that remains a common thread president and general counsel for FedEx ever met Sam Walton.
among the senior executives at the com- Freight. “It was a harebrained idea at “When he opened his second store
pany today, where people retire after the time. But it was also what he liked it was right here in Harrison. And I,
working there for 30 or even 40 years. about FedEx, the idea to deliver letters being a local chamber of commerce guy,
anywhere overnight. went over and was standing next to
THE WorkaHolIc “He did something no one thought him when he cut the ribbon,” Garrison
Sheridan Garrison took a differ- he could do,” said Reeves. “From said. “And I thought, ‘You know, this
ent approach to deregulation, which the very beginning with American old boy may have something here. He
would surprise few people who knew Freightways, he was told at every turn might wind up with six or eight of these
him. A year before the Motor Carrier this has no chance, which just fueled things.’”
Act of 1980 went into effect, he sold his flame to do it.” Clearly Garrison wasn’t afraid to
the trucking company his father had The $1.2 billion acquisition by make himself the punch line, and his
founded in 1955—Garrison Motor FedEx of American Freightways was, at natural ability to put people at ease was
Freight—and for the next two years the time, the largest business transac- evident every where he went. That atti-
he just sat back and observed how the tion in Arkansas history; it was also one tude was one key to Garrison’s success,
industry was changing. In 1982 he was of the year’s largest nationwide. FedEx said FedEx’s Reeves.
ready, and returned to the business by chairman Fred Smith had called it “a “He was comfortable in Wall Street

30 aRkansas TRucking RePoRT | issue 3 2012

settings as well as on the ranch,” he with something everyone thought was “After five years, [Garrison] bought
said. “He was never intimidated by any preposterous, like cell phones in trucks. his old terminal back in Harrison. He
company with which he found himself.” And Sheridan was working when you had the model in his mind that what
And Reed was quick to credit the and I were sleeping. Sheridan was an he would do is build terminal facilities
company Garrison built as the reason absolute workaholic, but a smart and and operate them, but as far as pickup
FedEx Freight was itself successful; in intelligent workaholic.” and delivery he would have owner-
2011, the carrier saw $4.9 billion in Take Garrison’s reaction to deregu- operators,” Campbell said. “Arkansas
revenue and averaged 86,000 LTL ship- lation, Campbell said. He knew that Freightways owned the over-the-road
ments per day. since Garrison Motor Freight had equipment, the operators in every ter-
“Sheridan had a vision for a living, an "A" contract with the Teamsters minal owned their own trucks and
breathing, belching company,” he said. Union, it wouldn’t be able to survive hired and fired the drivers. Therefore,
“He had passion; a love for people and as a regional carrier in the deregulated the Teamsters were never quite in
the things he wanted to do.” world. He approached his drivers and a position to organize at American
laid out a proposal: Sign the "B" con- Freightways.”
bIg SHoES tract which, though it meant less pay, Young’s business acumen was evi-
Arkansas Trailer co-owner Guy would allow the company to continue dent during the days before deregula-
Campbell Sr. knew all three of these operating after deregulation and meant tion, Campbell said.
men, both as friends and as business “you would put your head on your pil- “In his younger days, he and his
associates. Campbell described their low every night.” law partner were the driving forces
impact on trucking in Arkansas and The union members didn’t believe behind Arkansas Motor Freight,” said
beyond as “immeasurably important.” Garrison would ever sell the company, Campbell. “There were several pur-
“Mr. Young was, I think, the busi- Campbell said, so they signed a new chases that almost put ABF under—for
nessman of the group. He new how to "A" contract... and six months later, example, when they bought that line
run a business and get the best out of Garrison Motor Freight was sold to out of Jackson, Mississippi, that almost
people,” said Campbell. “J.B. was an Smith Transport, which relocated it put them under. But they persevered.”
idea man; he was always coming up from Harrison.














































aRkansas TRucking RePoRT | issue 3 2012 31

as president of ABF Freight System. Over
the next 15 years, Young is generally
credited with guiding his late father’s
“oh, gosh. eVerythiNg.” business through the treacherous waters
of deregulation, beating back a hostile
—guy campbell, arkaNsas trailer takeover attempt of the company in the
wheN asked for for his oVerall perspectiVe of these 1980s and thriving in the highly com-
three meN today, aNd what they meaNt to the iNdustry. petitive business that is the LTL sector
of trucking.
Now chairman of the board, the
son still gives credit to his father for
Young also had built a network Even once Young had begun instilling a corporate culture that he
throughout the state in those days when spending most of his time in Colorado attempted to emulate during his career
many truck lines were limited to a few Springs, where he had a home, he kept with the company. Asked what the elder
terminals. his hand in the business. Young might say on the company today,
“For example, Garrison Motor “He’d come back for executive Young reflected for a moment. “When
Freight had authority from Harrison meetings of the vice presidents and ask Dad passed away, we did about 60 mil-
to Little Rock, but it was closed-door about three or four very provocative lion in revenue and we will do about 2
authority—they couldn’t drop anything questions, then go back to Colorado and billion this year. So he’d be pleased with
off along the way. What that meant let the team work it out,” said Campbell that—I think I’d get an ‘atta-boy.’”
was they had to go to another freight smiling. “And they always did.” Hunt’s constant generation of new
line to get delivery in those places,” said Following his father’s death in ideas was transformative for the indus-
Campbell. “Arkansas Motor Freight had 1973, and at the relatively young age of try. Campbell recalled a conversation
[many] points and places in the state 33, Young III was named president and they had when Hunt decided that inter-
of Arkansas, which meant they could chief operating officer of Arkansas Best modal transport was the future for his
deliver anywhere.” Corporation. In 1979, he also took over company.
“He told me once, ‘I have bad
news, I’m never going to buy another
semi trailer, ever. I’m going to total
rail service.’ I said, ‘J.B., I’m trying to
remember how many trailers you’ve
bought from me over the years and I

Tractor-trailer financing for think it’s that many,’” said Campbell,
making a zero with his thumb and
Arkansas transportation companies forefinger. “‘So that’s not really bad
news to me.’”
Later, while he was visiting Hunt’s
Wells Fargo Equipment Finance offers: headquarters in Lowell, Campbell was
taken down into a huge computer cen-
• Term loans and a variety of lease options ter in the building’s lower level.
• Trailers available for lease directly from
Wells Fargo “There were lights showing railroad
• Competitive rates and structures tracks from east to west, and J.B. asked,
‘Do you want to know where my unit
• Attentive, professional service
number 4277 is?’” An operator punched
up some data and suddenly lights
appeared along one of the railway lines,
Ready to learn more? Call or email today. tracking the progress of that single trail-
Dave Modde • 1-800-670-0408 ext. 18 • [email protected] er. “That was his shining glory, I think.”
Asked for for his overall perspec-
tive of these three men today, and what
they meant to the industry, Campbell
wellsfargo.com/trucks answered without hesitating.
© 2012 Wells Fargo Equipment Finance, Inc. All applications
subject to credit approval. All rights reserved. MC-4044 “Oh, gosh,” he said. “Everything.”



32 MC-4044_WFEFI_AK trucking association ad.indd 1 4/18/12 12:30 PM aRkansas TRucking RePoRT | issue 3 2012

The Handoff





Estate planning can save family taxes, strife





























































eventual position of no longer speak- and family strife. “The family-owned
By steve Brawner ing to one another? And number three: business really is the backbone of the

Contributing Writer Will your business and family maintain U.S. economy,” Terry Resnick said. “But
a healthy cash flow when you’re not unfortunately, two out of every three
Terry Resnick opened his remarks around?” family businesses will not make it from
at the Arkansas Trucking Association’s Resnick and his brother, Lee, one generation to the next, and less
Annual Conference in May by asking partners in the nationally recognized than 15 percent will make it from a sec-
three questions. Resnick Associates succession plan- ond to a third generation.”
“Number one: Are you working ning firm, told attendees that failing to The Resnicks, identical twins who
most of your life to build your busi- plan for the transfer of a business is a are frequent speakers at trucking asso-
ness only to eventually lose it? Number key factor in business failures and can
two: Are you putting your family in the lead to a lot of unnecessary estate taxes 

aRkansas TRucking RePoRT | issue 3 2012 33

best if someone other than a family
member is in charge.
“we’Ve seeN a lot of busiNesses go uNder wheN “We’ve seen a lot of businesses go
the busiNess was left to the Next geNeratioN under when the business was left to
the next generation because the next
because the Next geNeratioN did Not haVe the generation did not have the same work
same work ethic, the same type of character ethic, the same type of character as the
as the pareNt or pareNts, aNd they just parent or parents, and they just weren’t

wereN’t capable.” capable,” Terry Resnick said.
Another checklist item is for
businesses to plan on techniques to
—terry resNick reduce or eliminate estate taxes. The
co-owNer Tax Relief Unemployment Insurance
resNick associates Reauthorization and Job Creation Act
of 2010 provides business owners an
unprecedented and perhaps short-lived
opportunity to do that by allowing
ciation events, said successfully navigat- In fact, avoiding family strife is a $5.12 million per individual, or $10.24
ing the transfer of ownership requires major reason that succession planning million per couple, to be transferred
adequate planning. They pointed out is so important. The Resnicks advised this year tax free. In fact, the entire
that an owner who has spent 80,000 to separating the business from the family $10.24 million can be transferred even
90,000 hours building a business can and then communicating with fam- if one member of the couple has died.
establish a succession plan that protects ily members about the business’s suc- The tax rate of 35 percent for taxable
his or her family’s wealth in 10 to 20 cession plan through periodic family assets is lower than it has been in the
hours, plus ongoing maintenance and retreats. Even inactive children who past.
reviews. aren’t involved in the business need However, the opportunity to do
The Resnicks presented a case study to understand conceptually why the that goes away at the end of this year
where one husband and wife trucking plan is being formulated to reduce the unless Congress extends it, and it’s not
partnership died leaving three children chance for disagreement about what certain that it will do that. Legislation
– two sons who were active in the busi- Mom and Dad would have wanted. has already been introduced that would
ness and a daughter who was not. Their “When we talk about succession cause tax rates to revert back to earlier
wills simply stated that their assets planning, it’s not so simple as to just provisions that would tax assets beyond
would be distributed to their three say, ‘When I die, the kids will figure it the first $1 million at much higher rates
children, although they wanted their out,’” Terry Resnick said.” You can’t put than currently exist.
two sons to take over the business. The them in that position because no good “We don’t want anyone in this
daughter – at her husband’s urging – comes from that.” room to say, ‘We can get to it whenever
requested more participation than just “You want to utilize the same focus we get to it’ because this window could
her simple minority interest that would in preserving and transitioning your close literally in a matter of months,”
pay off if the company was sold. The company’s and your wealth as you’ve Terry Resnick said.
sons refused. Then one of the sons died, done in creating it,” Terry Resnick said. Another technique for reducing
leaving his part of the business to his The Resnicks outlined a business taxable assets is through annual gifting
wife, who had never participated and succession planning checklist that provisions in the tax code that allow the
who no one else in the family had liked. includes five items, starting with defin- transfer of up to $13,000 per year to as
Now the one son who had worked in ing the goals and vision for the transfer many people as the owners want.
the business and who understood how it of ownership and then deciding who The fourth checklist item is mak-
worked was a minority owner while the the successor or successors will be. ing sure the company has enough liquid
daughter and daughter-in-law became Usually it’s best if that’s a family mem- assets to pay estate taxes, which are due
allies and gained control. ber, but a business can run into trouble nine months after the owner’s death.
With proper planning, all three if it loses trusted experienced execu- Otherwise, the company might have
children could have received a larger tives during the changeover. A good to be sold in a forced sale. Even high
inheritance, control of the company plan often will reward those executives net worth families, such as the Wrigley
would have remained in the proper so they’ll stay with the company while family that owned the Chicago Cubs
hands, and the family would not have keeping ownership completely within
endured such dissension. the family. However, occasionally it’s 

34 aRkansas TRucking RePoRT | issue 3 2012



and the Joe Robbie family that owned
the Miami Dolphins, have been forced
to sell their assets because they didn’t
have enough liquidity to pay their estate “there is a higher thaN 90 perceNt probability
taxes. that the iNterNal reVeNue serVice will audit
According to the Resnicks, there a compaNy’s assets if they are beiNg passed
are three ways to pay an estate tax. The from oNe geNeratioN to the Next.”
first is paying cash, which means the
company and family have to keep a lot
of assets in the bank rather than using —terry resNick
them to build wealth. The second is a co-owNer
forced sale of assets, which means the resNick associates
owners won’t get fair market value.
The best way is paying for the estate
tax through a life insurance policy. The
Resnicks said business owners need to ize there is a problem until they have “There is a higher than 90 percent prob-
appreciate that life insurance is usually paid premiums for many years and ability that the Internal Revenue Service
their second largest asset apart from have reached old age. The Resnicks are will audit a company’s assets if they are
the business and the assets themselves. working to help a Florida couple change being passed from one generation to the
Unfortunately, many business owners policies they created two years ago next,” Terry Resnick said.
don’t understand their policies, haven’t worth $20 million for each of their four The Resnicks said owners who want
made sure they have the insurance they children that currently are 100 percent to pass on their businesses to the next
need and haven’t created policies that taxable. generation need to begin grooming
can’t be taxed when the inheritances The final item on the checklist is to their successors years in advance. That
are disbursed. Then they don’t real- ensure a business is valued accurately. can be difficult for someone who has
spent decades building a business from
nothing. However, it usually doesn’t
work well when heirs are simply handed
the business when the owner retires or,
worse, inherit it unprepared when the
owner dies suddenly.
“It’s also very important that if
you have that next generation work-
ing, that you start to acclimate them
and introduce them and build the rela-
tionships you have with your advisors,
your lending institutions,” Lee Resnick
said. “Because ultimately when the day
comes that they do take over, if they
don’t have those relationships, you’re
really putting them in an unfair situ-
ation because they’re not on the same
level as you were when you were run-
ning the company.”
Business owners should review
their plans periodically to make sure
they are up to date, especially when the
family structure changes. In fact, Terry
Resnick said having no plan is often
better than having a bad plan because
a bad plan can give a business owner a
false sense of security.




36 aRkansas TRucking RePoRT | issue 3 2012

Insider Trucking





A look at new products, services and news from ATR advertisers.







mHc UNvEIlS NEW IpHoNE app ing 46 heavy and medium duty truck Jeff Cochran of Texarkana finished
MHC has released a locations and dealers, 27 MHC Truck Leasing loca- first in the Twins class earning his sec-
services directory application, available tions, four Carrier Transicold Locations ond state title and a Grand Champion
now for download from iTunes for the and a wholly owned finance company, title. Casey Faulkner captured the top
iPhone and iPad. MHC Financial Services. MHC fea- spot in the Step Van class.
tures Kenworth, Hino, Ford, Volvo and During the competition, profes-
Isuzu trucks. Through its formal qual- sional truck drivers from around the
ity program, MHC delivers excellent state competed against their peers by
service to its customers and maintains showcasing their driving skills and
ISO 9001 certification. To learn more safety expertise in the areas of pre-trip
about MHC’s locations, services and inspection and federal safety regula-
standards, visit mhctruck.com or call tions, and completing a written exami-
888-MHC-TRUCK. nation covering vehicle operation.
By placing on the state level,
TWo fEdEx drIvErS TakE Top Cochran and Faulkner will compete at
SpoTS IN STaTE compETITIoN the American Trucking Associations’
Two drivers representing FedEx 2012 National Truck Driving
Corp. operating companies placed Championships (NTDC), August 7-11
among the top finishers at the in Minneapolis, Minn. The NTDC is
2012 Arkansas State Truck Driving known throughout the trucking indus-
Championship held in Rogers June 8-10. try as the “Super Bowl of Safety.”
The intuitive and user-friendly
application allows customers to quickly
find the closest MHC location to their
current location, or final destination.
An interactive map of locations across
the country is also accessible. Listings
include contact information, hours of
operation and available services of each
MHC location.
“Our customers are very tech-savvy
and utilize all of the latest innovations
to manage their business processes,”
said MHC Chief Information Officer
Jeff Murphy. “To keep up with the
ever-changing culture of today’s world,
providing this app was the next logi-
cal step. Our customers will now have
an easy tool to access MHC’s full array
of services and locations, right at their
fingertips.”
Download the app at www.mhc-
truck.com/iPhoneApp.
Located across 10 states, MHC is
a network of over 70 locations, includ-

aRkansas TRucking RePoRT | issue 3 2012 37

80 years and Still Trucking




th
Coverage of the 80 Arkansas Trucking Association annual conference










By ATR staff of one percent to collect a dollar of fuel began the discussion with an overview
With a record number of reg- tax. On a toll, administrative costs are of current regulations before opening
istrants, the Arkansas Trucking about 18-25 percent.” up the floor for questions, the majority
Association (ATA) had a lot to celebrate With no end in sight to the politi- of which dealt with hours-of-service
at its Annual Business Conference cal bickering, Graves emphasized the and CSA. For more information, see
and Vendor Showcase in Hot Springs, importance of a united trucking front. related article on page 19.
Arkansas, May 16-18 where the asso- “We are becoming such a large, big The following day, former
ciation marked its 80th year of service diverse industry that the challenge of Truckload Carriers Association
to the industry. Likewise, Lane Kidd speaking with one voice gets harder Chairman and current Jet Express
celebrated his 20th anniversary as the and harder every day. We have a hard President Kevin Burch highlighted the
president of the association. time within our own ranks of coming importance of reforming trucking’s
The Hot Springs Convention Center to a consensus position we can all rally image, both for the sake of individual
played host to more than 260 confer- around,” he said. “We have to keep businesses and the industry overall.
ence attendees, vendors and speakers working hard to appreciate that there is Finally, the executive forums con-
representing 134 different companies. a lot of strength in our unity, but that cluded with the always-entertaining Dr.
Headlining the conference was Keynote unity can crumble very quickly when we Michael Economides, an oil and energy
Speaker Bill Graves, American Trucking have dissention in our ranks. We have expert and professor at the University of
Associations president. to stick with that model of disagreeing Houston. With a thick Greek accent
During the opening session, without being disagreeable.” and an affinity for political satire,
Graves addressed the political grid- Next, the topic changed from Economides mocked the fears of a total
lock in Washington saying that even political to financial as identical twins depletion of America’s oil reserve.
if Congress is able to pass the surface Terrance “Terry” and Leon “Lee” “The word ‘crisis’ is one of the most
transportation, in terms of length and Resnick discussed the importance of trite words of the English language,”
amount of money allocated, the bill is financial planning. “You want to utilize Economides said. “You guys remember
overall weak. the same focus in preserving and transi- the ‘credit crunch crisis’? Do you
“One of the outcomes of that grid- tioning your company’s and your wealth remember the ‘banking crisis’? How
lock is an inadequate response to infra- as you’ve done in creating it,” Terry about the energy crisis? We’ve been
structure and that is a big, big deal for Resnick said. talking about this energy crisis for
our industry,” Graves said. “But at the The Resnicks outlined a business almost three decades right now.”
moment, it’s the best they can try to do, succession planning checklist that However, the trend toward natural
and I’m skeptical they can get it done.” includes five items, starting with defin- gas is valid, Economides said.
Funding the country’s infrastruc- ing the goals and vision for the transfer “There are no alternatives to hydro-
ture is another major issue caught up of ownership and then deciding who carbon energy resources in the foresee-
in Washington partisanship, Graves the successor or successors will be. For able future. The future of energy is not
said: The industry supports a diesel tax, more information, see related article on solar and wind—the future of energy is
but no one is willing to propose a tax page 33. still oil and gas. I have this vision, in the
increase in an election year. Conversation returned to year 2100 a great, great grandson of
“Most often, the conversation Washington as three Federal Motor mine is going to stand in front of the
involves tolling and if you spend any Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Arkansas Trucking Association telling
time looking at tolling you’ll find toll- representatives took the stage to have a you that 87 percent of the world’s energy
ing is not a very fiscally responsible way round-table discussion on a myriad of demand still comes from oil and gas.”
to build roads and bridges,” Graves said. regulations. Anne Collins, associate He went on to tout the growing
“The administrative cost is two-tenths administrator for field operations, natural gas industry. “You guys are

38 aRkansas TRucking RePoRT | issue 3 2012

going to be upset if you don’t have any
stock in natural gas companies,” he
stated frankly. “If you don’t have any,
buy it right now. Buy it, and forget it for
five years. Mark my words. And send
me a bottle of Wild Turkey whiskey the
year after.”
In addition to the information
gained at the executive forums, the  duke fancher, diamond International;
annual conference provides an excel- Bo Harrell, Rich Transport; Hayes
lent networking opportunity. From atwood, diamond International; noelle
the Spring Golf Classic, to the Early nikpour, ATA political consultant and
Bird Reception, to the Gold Sponsor John Hinesley, meritor, at the Spring Golf
Classic at the hot Springs Country Club.
Reception for gold sponsors and ATA’s  Will maddox, Tri-State Truck Center;
Board of Directors to the Chairman’s shannon newton, ATA; al Heringer iV,
Reception; there is ample opportunity Star Transporation; chase Robinson,
to catch up with old acquaintances and Volvo North America
forge new ones.
This year’s Chairman’s Reception
offered more than just a chance to talk
with colleagues; there were big bucks on
the line. The Embassy Suites ballroom
was transformed into a retro casino,
complete with white, leather throw-  ATA board members Blue keene, Tyson
back furniture; Black Jack, Craps and Foods, Inc. and Jeff smith, Utility Trailer
Roulette tables and music from the Rat Sales, Inc.
Pack. With dealers in vest and bow-ties,
and cocktail waitresses making the  Cobbs, Allen & hall associates Jack
rounds, players felt the true essence of Welbourn, Brian Welbourn and mike
Vegas. knotts won first place at the Spring Golf
Classic.











 Outgoing ATA Chairman marr lynn
Bearden, marrlin Transit, welcomes the
more than 260 conference registrants.





 mark morris, morris Transportation,
delivers the membership report  Safety Professional of the Year
dennis Hilton, CalArk International,
Inc., receives his award from shannon
newton, ATA.

 ATA’s vice president shannon
newton presents Ryan farrell, maverick
Transportation, LLC, with an award for his
service as president of the
40 Under 40 Council. 

aRkansas TRucking RePoRT | issue 3 2012 39

CALENDAR AWARD RECIPIENTS
OF EVENTS 2011 drIvEr of THE yEar TANK TRUCK


Bennie Harger Small Carrier:
Seahawk Transport, LLC solar Transport company
JULY West des moines, Iowa
2011 SafETy profESSIoNal
JULY 12 of THE yEar graNd cHampIoN
SAfeTy MAnAGeMenT CounCIl dennis Hilton cobb-Vantress, inc.
& MAInTenAnCe TeChnoloGy CalArk International, Inc. Siloam Springs, Ark.
CounCIl MeeTInG
maverick Transportation LLC
North Little Rock, Arkansas 2011 corporaTE flEET arkaNSaS TrUckINg aSSocIaTIoN
SafETy aWardS SElf-INSUrErS’ fUNd SafETy aWardS
JULY 21-25
TRuCkInG ASSoCIATIonS GENERAL COmmOdITIES/TRUCKLOAd – Small Fleet:
exeCuTIVe CounCIl AnnuAl FLATBEd dIVISION Boardman, inc.
MeeTInG Intermediate Carrier: Pine Bluff, Ark.
Park City, Utah fairfield Trucking, inc.
hamburg, Ark. J.T.l. Trucking co., inc.
AUGUST Conway, Ark.
Large Carrier:
AUGUST 7-11 maverick Transportation, llc kTi logistics, llc
nATIonAl TRuCk DRIVInG Little Rock, Ark.
ChAMpIonShIp marion, Ark.
minneapolis Convention Center
minneapolis, minnesota GENERAL COmmOdITIES/TRUCKLOAd – Pacific east Transportation co., inc.
VAN & REEFER dIVISION North Little Rock, Ark.
SEPTEMBER Small Carrier: scranton Transfer, inc.
c.c. Jones, inc.
SEPTEmBER 9-15 North Little Rock, Ark. Fort Smith, Ark.
nATIonAl TRuCk DRIVeR
AppReCIATIon Week Intermediate Carrier: medium Fleet:
dedicated logistics ccs Transportation, inc.
SEPTEmBER 10-13 Crossett, Ark.
TeChnoloGy & MAInTenAnCe Conway, Ark.
CounCIl fAll MeeTInG &
nATIonAl TeChnICIAn SkIllS Large Carrier: Large Fleet:
CoMpeTITIon Wayne smith Trucking, inc. freight systems, inc.
david L. Lawrence Convention Center morrilton, Ark. North Little Rock, Ark.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
GENERAL COmmOdITIES/LTL dIVISION mOST ImPROVEd WINNER:
OCTOBER Small Carrier: commercial Transportation, inc.
Triad Transport, inc. North Little Rock, Ark.
OCTOBER 7-10 mcAlester, Okla.
AMeRICAn TRuCkInG OVERALL WINNER:
ASSoCIATIonS MAnAGeMenT Large Carrier: freight systems, inc.
ConfeRenCe & exhIbITIon con-way freight
mandalay Bay Resort & Convention Center Ann Arbor, mich. North Little Rock, Ark.
Las Vegas, Nevada
OCTOBER 27 PRIVATE CARRIER dIVISION
15Th AnnuAl ATA RAzoRbACk Small Carrier:  2011 driver of the Year, Bennie Harger of
TAIlGATe pARTy southern star concrete Seahawk Transport, LLC accepts his award from ATA
War memorial Stadium Little Rock, Ark. President lane kidd
Little Rock, Arkansas
Intermediate Carrier:
cobb-Vantress, inc.
Siloam Springs, Ark.

Large Carrier:
Walmart Transportation llc
Bentonville, Ark.





40 aRkansas TRucking RePoRT | issue 3 2012

 Robert and mary Young, Arkansas
Best Freight, with sam gill, the Gill ThANK YOU TO OUR 2012
Group (center) CONFERENCE SPONSORS
gold sPonsoRs

Aon Risk Solutions
Bridgestone Commercial Solutions
C.C. Jones Trucking, Inc.
CorVel Corporation

Cummins mid-South
 Fairfield Trucking’s angie collins and
ATA’s sarah sheets diamond International
FedEx Freight

Fikes Truck Line, LLC
Great West Casualty Company
International Truck & Engine
PeopleNet
 Incoming ATA Chairman
gary salisbury, Fikes Peterbilt of Fort Smith, LLC
 Oil and energy expert dr. michael Truck Line, continues on Pilot Flying J
economides his campaign to improve
trucking’s image. Regions Insurance
Retention management Services

Superior Trailer Sales Company
Tri-State Truck Center, Inc.


silVeR sPonsoRs

Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC
 lisa Bogle, FedEx Freight; dan
cushman, P.A.m. Transport and mike Burnett Insurance Corporation
Brust, FedEx Freight  michael Barr, J.m. Bozeman; al Clean Energy Fuels
Heringer iV, Star Transportation; Pat detroit
Reed, FedEx Freight and mike mcnutt,
distribution Solutions, Inc. J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc.
Qualcomm, Inc.
Shipley motor Equipment Sales Company

TAB Bank - Transportation Alliance Bank
Travel Centers of America
Walmart Transportation LLC

Wayne Smith Trucking, Inc.
Wells Fargo Equipment Finance





 Jason Wing, ABF Freight  greg carman shoots the
System, Inc., received a plaque dice while wife melanie and
for being chairman of the Safety others look on
management Council. 

aRkansas TRucking RePoRT | issue 3 2012 41

 FmCSA Field Administrator
 FmCSA Panel: kevin Breedlove, darrell Ruban anne collins
and anne collins







 steve Williams, maverick USA,
presents lane kidd, ATA, with an award
in recognition of his 20 years of service
as association president.
 40 Under 40 meeting
 Terry Bitner, Great West Casualty
Insurance; colleen sweeney, PeopleNet;
Philip mahoney, Great West Casualty
Insurance; John Pierron, Regions
Insurance at the Gold Sponsor Reception

 Terry and lee Resnick discuss
financial planning




 Benton landers, American Trucking
Associations; Vicki Jones stephens,
C.C. Jones Trucking; lane kidd, Arkansas
Trucking Association
 Bruce
Busada,
diesel driving
Academy, at the
roulette table


 dave luethy, Bridgestone Commercial
Solutions, celebrates a big roll

















 chris “Bang-Bang” Burruss, president
of Truckload Carriers Association, bares
 Former Truckload Carriers Association a striking resemblance to mobster Al
 American Trucking Associations Chairman kevin Burch, Jet Express, Inc.
President & CEO Bill graves Capone

42 aRkansas TRucking RePoRT | issue 3 2012



Simply the best





Winners and highlights from the 2012 Arkansas Trucking Championships









By ATR staff
It’s the annual competition for
bragging rights. It determines who has
the best drivers and technicians in the
state. It’s the annual Arkansas Trucking
Championships.
June 7-9, the best technicians and
truck drivers in the state gathered at the
John Q. Hammons Convention Center
in Rogers, Ark. to compete in the 2012
Arkansas Trucking Championship, hosted  The 2012 Arkansas Championship
by the Arkansas Trucking Association. Team (l to r): Bruce aschwege, Walmart
Transportation LLC; garry Holliman, ABF
The three-day event, beginning Freight System, Inc.; Jeff cochran, FedEx
on Thursday, June 7 and concluding Freight; martin shepard, Oakley Trucking,
on Saturday, June 9 was comprised Inc.; darin Jones, Tyson Foods, Inc.;
of a Commercial Vehicle Inspection casey faulkner, FedEx Ground; Richard
Competition for Arkansas Highway graham Wooten, Con-way Freight; scott
ferguson, Transco Lines, Inc. and shane
policemen, Safety Inspectors Challenge, simmons, Con-way Freight
Technician Training Fair, Technician
Championship and Truck Driving
Championship.  Safety officials from member
One hundred and thirty-five (135) companies were invited to compete in
drivers and 44 technicians competed in the Safety Compliance Challenge. This
both written and hands-on competitions. year’s winner was malea Hare of CalArk
“This competition is just a small International, Inc.
gesture to recognize the men and
women who deliver the products we
need every day of the year, and those
who service the vehicles to keep
the trucks running on time,” said
Lane Kidd, president of the Arkansas
Trucking Association.
Within the Technician
Championship, there are two Grand  ATA’s stephanie Verdell
Champions: the Trailer Technician Grand presents Arkansas Truck
Champion and the Truck Technician driving Grand Champion Jeff
Grand Champion. cochran, FedEx Freight, with
a commemorative watch and
This year’s Trailer Technician Grand trophy.
Champion, Scott Cothren, has been  Arkansas highway Police Inspector Buckie
employed by Tyson Foods, Inc. for six Thomas thanks larry Parrish, FedEx Freight, for
years. “Scott is a genuine, creative per- his continued help in organizing the event by
son, an outstanding technician and an awarding him a trooper’s hat.
asset to Tyson Foods,” said Cothren’s
supervisor, Michael Alvey.

44 aRkansas TRucking RePoRT | issue 3 2012

Tyson Sontag is a name long associ- ThANK YOU TO OUR 2012
ated with the Truck Technician Grand TRUCKING ChAmPIONShIP
Championship. An employee of McKee SPONSORS
Foods Transportation, LLC for the past 12
years, Sontag and his co-workers are fre- gold sponsor
quently engaged in friendly competition ABF Freight System Inc.
for the top spot. Of the 26 awards hand- FedEx Freight
ed out to truck technician competitors, J. J. Keller & Associations, Inc.
J.B. hunt Transport
15 were awarded to McKee Foods tech- National Truck Staffing
nicians. Sontag and his co-worker Eric Purkeys Fleet Electric LLC
Rusk, alternated first and second place Tri-State Truck Center
in five classes of competition including  Trailer Technician Championship Tyson Foods, Inc.
Chairman Terry Johnson, Arkansas
overall champion. Trailer, presents scott cothren, Tyson Walmart Transportation LLC
“Tyson is a leader in our shop,” said Foods, Inc., the Trailer Technician Grand silver sponsor
Sontag’s supervisor Billy Baker. “He is Champion trophy. Bendix
involved with training and promoting a CalArk International, Inc.
high level of safety and performance for diamond International Trucks
those he works with and around.” maverick Transportation, LLC
Jeff Cochran of FedEx Freight was STEmCO LP
named the Truck Driving Championship Truck-Lite Co. LLC
USA Truck
Grand Champion. Cochran, who won
the Twins division, has been a FedEx Bronze sponsor
Freight employee for 20 years, the last 17 Cobb-Vantress
of which have been accident-free. Jost International
Reyco Granning
He will be joined by each of the Shipley motor Equipment Sales Co.
winners from the nine truck classes to Travel Centers of America
represent Arkansas at the national truck
driving championships in Minneapolis,
Minn., August 7-11.
“The national competition, called
the ‘Super Bowl of Safety’ showcases the
safest and most professional truck driv-
ers who work every day on our nation’s  Friendly competition. husband and
highways,” Kidd said. “It is the highest wife samuel and kara irvin, FedEx
professional achievement a commercial Express, came in third and second place,
respectively, in the Step-Van competition.
truck driver can obtain.” No female in recent memory has placed in
Fitting with the ‘Super Bowl’ theme, any of the driving competitions.  loren Hatfield, ABF Freight System,
each year hundreds of drivers’ families, Inc., was chosen by the championship
co-workers and friends turn out to show judges to receive the Sportsmanship
their support for the competitors. It has Award.
turned into a massive tailgate party com-
plete with giant grills, chants and signs.
To encourage more fan participa-
tion, this year the ATA launched the
“People’s Choice Awards”. Spirit sticks (a
la high school pep rallies) were awarded
to the companies voted to have the Best
Dressed Driver Team, USA Truck; Most
Creative Fan Outfits, Con-way Freight;
Best Cheers, Con-way Freight; Biggest  Brett graves, maverick Transportation,  danny fuller of Con-way Freight
Group, Tyson Foods and Best Overall, LLC, is awarded a plaque from ATA’s accepts the newly added “Spirit Award”
USA Truck. shannon newton in appreciation for his for Best Cheers from stephanie Verdell,
service as the 2012 Arkansas Truck driving ATA.
Championship chairman. 


aRkansas TRucking RePoRT | issue 3 2012 45

2012 ARKANSAS TRUCK & TRAILER TECHNICIAN CHAMPIONSHIP


grand champion Written Exam
Tyson sontag – mcKee Foods Transportation, LLC 1st Tyson sontag – mcKee Foods Transportation, LLC
2nd david Bishop – Walmart Transportation LLC
grand champion runner-Up
eric Rusk – mcKee Foods Transportation, LLC TraIlEr TEcHNIcIaN aWardS
Trailer Technician champion
INdIvIdUal WINNErS by claSS david scott cothren – Tyson Foods, Inc.
air conditioning/refrigeration
1st david Bishop – Walmart Transportation LLC Trailer Technician runner-Up
2nd Henry ipema – USA Truck Jimmy Thacker – mcKee Foods Transportation, LLC

air Systems & brakes INdIvIdUal WINNErS by claSS
1st Tyson sontag – mcKee Foods Transportation, LLC brakes
2nd eric Rusk – mcKee Foods Transportation, LLC 1st Jimmy Thacker – mcKee Foods Transportation, LLC
2nd clayton douglas Wormington – Tyson Foods, Inc.
drive Train
1st aaron martin – Truck Centers of Arkansas Electrical
2nd david Bishop – Walmart Transportation LLC
1st William Williams – CalArk International, Inc.
2nd matt newton – Travel Centers of America
Electrical
1st david Bishop – Walmart Transportation LLC pmI
2nd Henry ipema – USA Truck 1st scott godfrey – Walmart Transportation LLC
2nd Jimmy Thacker – mcKee Foods Transportation, LLC
Engines & associated
1st aaron martin – Truck Centers of Arkansas Trailer Suspension & landing gear
2nd Patrick mcginley – mcKee Foods Transportation LLC 1st david scott cothren – Tyson Foods, Inc.
2nd William Williams – CalArk International, Inc.
pmI
1st Tyson sontag – mcKee Foods Transportation, LLC Written Exam
2nd eric Rusk – mcKee Foods Transportation LLC 1st Bill Bennett – mcKee Foods Transportation, LLC
2nd Wade ashley Thompson – Oakley Trucking, Inc.
Safety & Environmental
1st milton goldsborough – Tyson Foods, Inc.
2nd david Bishop – Walmart Transportation LLC

Service Information
1st eric Rusk – mcKee Foods Transportation, LLC
2nd Tyson sontag – mcKee Foods Transportation, LLC

Steering & Suspension
1st Patrick mcginley – mcKee Foods Transportation, LLC
2nd Tyson sontag – mcKee Foods Transportation, LLC

Tire & Wheel analysis
1st david Bishop – Walmart Transportation LLC
2nd Tyson sontag – mcKee Foods Transportation, LLC

Work order
1st eric Rusk – mcKee Foods Transportation, LLC
2nd Tyson sontag – mcKee Foods Transportation, LLC
 Truck Technician Grand Champion Runner-
Up eric Rusk compares scores with Grand
Champion Tyson sontag, a fellow mcKee Foods
Transportation employee.


46 aRkansas TRucking RePoRT | issue 3 2012

2012 ARKANSAS TRUCK DRIVING CHAMPIONSHIP AWARDS


graNd cHampIoN SlEEpEr
Jeff cochran – FedEx Freight 1st scott ferguson – Transco Lines, Inc.
2nd nicolas gonzales – Tyson Foods, Inc. *Rookie
graNd cHampIoN rUNNEr-Up 3rd Jodie Yoder – USA Truck
garry Holliman – ABF Freight System, Inc.
STEp vaN
largE TEam aWard 1st casey faulkner – FedEx Ground
2nd kara irvin – FedEx Express
Con-way Freight
3rd samuel irvin – FedEx Express
Small TEam aWard
STraIgHT TrUck
YRC Freight
1st shane simmons – Con-way Freight
2nd melvin andrews – YRC Freight
prE-TrIp INSpEcTIoN 3rd chris Haas – Con-way Freight
Jeff cochran – FedEx Freight
TaNk
carl THomaS aWard 1st martin shepard – Oakley Trucking, Inc.
gary mars – Walmart Transportation LLC 2nd Randy lovell – Walmart Transportation LLC
3rd neil Templeton – Con-way Freight
SporTSmaNSHIp aWard
loren Hatfield – ABF Freight System, Inc. TWINS
1st Jeff cochran – FedEx Freight
rookIE of THE yEar 2nd mark anthony Werner – FedEx Freight
nicolas gonzalez – Tyson Foods, Inc. 3rd gary mars – Walmart Transportation LLC

SafETy complIaNcE cHallENgE
1st malea Hare – CalArk International, Inc.
2nd mike Bertalot – Stallion Transportation Group
3rd Brett graves – maverick Transportation, LLC

INdIvIdUal WINNErS by claSS
3-axlE
1st garry Holliman – ABF Freight System, Inc.
2nd leonard Thomas Richey– FedEx Freight
3rd Timothy allen moore– FedEx Freight

4-axlE
1st Richard graham Woten – Con-way Freight
2nd david Hall – YRC Freight
3rd chris Parker – FedEx Freight  Judy carson, wife of Oakley Trucking’s
Roger Carson, relaxes in her hammock at
the “Oakley Oasis” tent which was decked
5 axlE
out with Caribbean decor.
1st darin Jones – Tyson Foods, Inc.
2nd edward Britton – martin-Brower Co.
3rd scott mollus – Tyson Foods, Inc.

flaTbEd  mark courter, FedEx
Freight, and 2012 TdC
1st Bruce aschwege – Walmart Transportation LLC Chairman Brett graves,
2nd mark cronk – Walmart Transportation LLC maverick Transportation,
3rd danny fuller – Con-way Freight make the rounds
collecting scores.








aRkansas TRucking RePoRT | issue 3 2012 47

S TaT v I E W
Trends_2012_Layout­1­­3/29/12­­4:30­PM­­Page­15






AMERICAN TRUCKING TRENDS 2012 | 15

Revenue per Mile and Revenue per Ton
Revenue per Mile and Revenue per Ton:


index has recovered to just below 2008’s record 147.0.
Similar to the tonnage and revenue data, the average After plunging 10.9 percent in 2009, the revenue per mile
Similar to the tonnage and revenue data, the average revenue
revenue per mile and average revenue per ton data is index has recovered to just below 2008’s record 147.0. For
For the less-than-truckload industry, the average
per mile and average revenue per ton data is derived from
derived from ATA surveys of for-hire trucking companies. the less-than-truckload industry, the average revenue per
ATA surveys of for-hire trucking companies. The for-hire
revenue per ton index increased 4.3% in 2011, afterton
falling a combined 16.5% over the previous two years.
The for-hire truckload revenue per mile index rose 5.7% index increased 4.3 percent in 2011, after falling a combined
truckload revenue per mile index rose 5.7 percent in 2011
in 2011 from the previous year, following a 4.4% gain in 16.5 percent over the previous two years.
from the previous year, following a 4.4 percent gain in 2010.
2010. After plunging 10.9% in 2009, the revenue per mile
Figure 2-8 Annual Percent Change in ATA's Seasonally
Figure 2-7 ATA's For-Hire Truckload Revenue per Mile Adjusted For-Hire Truckload Revenue
Index (Seasonally Adjusted, 2000=100) per Mile Index
150 147.0 144.5 %
141.5 12 11.4%
134.1 136.7 10 8.9%
131.0 8
6.2% 5.5% 5.7%
130 126.3 6 3.9% 4.4%
4 2.8%
2 0.4% 0.8%
113.4
0
110 -2
104.1
100.4 101.2 -4
-6
-8
90 -10 -10.9%
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 -12 2010 2011
Source: Trucking Activity Report, Economics & Statistics Group, 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
American Trucking Associations Source: Trucking Activity Report, Economics & Statistics Group,
American Trucking Associations


Figure 2-9 ATA's For-Hire Less-than-Truckload Figure 2-10 Annual Percent Change in ATA's
Revenue per Ton Index Seasonally Adjusted For-Hire Less-than-
(Seasonally Adjusted, 2000=100) Truckload Revenue per Ton Index

%
9
7 4.9% 6.4%
5 4.3% 4.0% 4.5% 4.3%
150 3 1.1% 1.8% 1.8%
1
140 130.2 132.5 -1
127.9 -0.7%
130 -3
122.4
120 115.1 115.5 -5
110.7 111.5 110.7 -7
110 104.3 105.5 -9
-11
100
-13
90 -15
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 -17 -15.9%
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Source: Trucking Activity Report, Economics & Statistics Group,
American Trucking Associations Source: Trucking Activity Report, Economics & Statistics Group,
American Trucking Associations



48 aRkansas TRucking RePoRT | issue 3 2012

ADVERTISER
RESOURCE
INDEX



ACS - A Xerox Company ...........................35

Aon Transportation .......... Inside front cover
Arkansas Trucking Report ..........................49
Bell & Company ........................................17

Burnett Insurance ............. Inside back cover
Clean Energy Fuels ....................................21

Cobbs, Allen & Hall of Arkansas ..............43
Diamond International ...............................4
Drivers Legal Plan .....................................29
FedEx Freight .............................................13

Gemini Transportation Underwriters .......24
Great West Casualty .................................18

J. J. Keller & Associates .............................16
MedDirect .................................................31
MHC Kenworth ...........................................8
MSI Lodging, Inc. ......................................14

Peterbilt of Fort Smith .................Back cover
PrePass .......................................................23

Regions Insurance .....................................49
Southern Tire Mart ...................................10
Stephens Inc. ...............................................3

TAB Bank ...................................................36
Trojan Battery ............................................15
Utility Tri-State ............................................6

Wells Fargo ................................................32
This edition of Arkansas Trucking Report
was made possible with the support of
these corporate advertisers. They support
the trucking industry by enabling ATA to DIGITAL MAGAZINE NOW AVAILABLE!
provide this publication to its members,
prospective members, elected officials and the You may now view Arkansas Trucking Report—complete with sound effects—online
national trucking and business community within a week of distribution.
at large. They deserve your consideration Another awesome feature of this great new technology is that websites in the
and patronage when making your corporate digital magazine are “live.” So, viewers may click on a site featured in an ad and be
purchasing decisions. Thank you!
transported directly to an advertiser’s website.
PLEASE VISIT ARkAnSASTRuCkIng.CoM
To SEE THE DIgITAL VERSIon oF Check it out: www.arkansastrucking.com
ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT WITH
LIVE LInkS To ADVERTISERS’ WEBSITES. This is just one more service that we’re happy to offer on behalf of our ATR
advertisers.


aRkansas TRucking RePoRT | issue 3 2012 49

THE laST Word







To my friends…









In May 2002, Sheridan garrison, founder May 16, 2002
of American Freightways, announced his
resignation from the Arkansas Trucking To those assembled in Little Rock for the Arkansas Trucking Association Business
Association Board of Directors, a position Conference
he had held continuously for many years.
Diagnosed with Parkinson’s years earlier To My Friends—and Robert Young,
and with his company’s recent acquisition An important medical appointment prevents my being with you. You will be in my
by FedEx the previous year, garrison made thoughts though, for I am in the process of winding down my trucking career. Officially,
the decision to step away from the indus- my seemingly endless membership on the association’s board of directors is coming to
try he loved and to focus on his love of an end. Pray it will be merciful. Certainly it has been fulfilling.
fishing, hunting, and living in the moun- [garrison’s letter deviated here to tell a story and take some well-intentioned barbs at his
tains of northern Arkansas. friend and competitor Robert Young of ABF Freight System.]
Of course all of that was in jest. Robert and I learned a long time ago that competi-
He sent this letter to the association’s tors can be friends.
business conference, where it was read For various reasons many businesses do not or have not had a strong representative
aloud. Edited out of this letter are some association—like we have in the Arkansas Trucking Association.
colorful ‘digs’ at his longtime competitor Here we get together on a regular and as-needed basis to do combat with those who
and friend Robert A. Young III of ABF ignore the benefits of moving freight over the highway. Left alone the market will sort
Freight System, and who was in atten- itself out, and trucks will handle the vast majority of freight because shippers and receiv-
dance, thus the salutation. ers are smart enough.
Here we defend ourselves, including our employees, against an army of well-mean-
garrison understood the value of industry ing do-gooders, who would force-feed us programs that would make our industry less
associations to his company and to him efficient and less safe on the very highways we share with them and their families. All of
personally. In this issue where he and his us are for safety. That’s an easy call. But safety involves hard work and convincing proof
colleagues Robert Young Jr. and J.B. Hunt as well as new ideas.
are recognized, “Last Word” is devoted Here we come together to work for our customers as well as our industry.
to his thoughts on the subject. The values Here we have learned to put aside differences to work for the good of all.
that garrison derived from this organiza- Here we have made our living, raised our families and formed lifelong friendships.
tion are as relevant today as they were ten And so it is that we assemble here in Little Rock to say thanks to all those who
years ago. have worked for this association to serve our constituents – our customers, our people,
Lane kidd our suppliers, our investors and the general public whose highways, communities and
Executive Editor institutions we share. You have made the Arkansas Trucking Association an effective and
respected organization.
Thank you for the opportunity to serve you.
Respectfully,
F. S. Garrison
Founder & Chairman Emeritus
American Freightways
(FedEx Freight)



opinions expressed on this page may not reflect official policies or opinions of the Arkansas Trucking Association
or the American Trucking Associations.

50 aRkansas TRucking RePoRT | issue 3 2012